Bomb



Nov. 6, 1945..

C. S. ALLEN, JR

BOMB

Filed Nov. 17, 1942 Patented Nov. 6, 1945 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICEBOMB Charles S. Allen, Jr., Greenville, S. 0.

Application November 17, 1942, Serial No. 465,916 7 1 Claim.

This invention relates to bombs and more particularly to devices of thisnature designed for use in marine warfare to destroy enemy craft of thesurface or sub-surface type.

The object of the invention is the provision of a bomb including animproved firing mechanism which is maintained in inoperative conditionby hydrostatic pressure of the water as long as it remains submerged butwhich, when released and brought to or near the water surface, respondsto the reduction in the hydrostatic pressure and automatically explodes.

A further object of the invention is the provision of an automatic bomband anchoring or mooring means associated therewith, whereby one or apluralty of the bombs may be maintained in submerged positions in sealanes most likely to be traversed by enemy craft.

In the accompanying drawing wherein an improved embodiment of theinvention is illus-- trated:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the improved bomb applied to use,showing several of such devices attached to a buoyant net.

Figure 2 is an enlarged sectional view of the upper portion of the bombcasing illustrating the interal mechanism thereof.

Figure 3 is a side elevation of the complete bomb.

Referring to the drawing in detail, the numerals I and II indicate twoparts of a bomb casing which are flanged at their meeting edges asindicated at I2 and secured together. The lower part I0 is designed toaccommodate an explosive charge I3 and a partition I4 is secured betweenthe flanges I2 and divides the interior of the casing into two chambers,one of which accommodates the explosive charge I3 and the other, whichis enclosed by the casing part I I, forms a housing for the firingmechanism.

The dome-shaped upper part II of the casing is formed with an aperturethrough which is introduced a pipe I5 rigidly secured in position bynuts I6 threaded on the end thereof and engaging the inner and outersurfaces of the part- II. The inner extremity of the pipe I5 is providedwith a head I! which supports the pressure responsive element I8 which,under normal atmospheric pressure, is curved from end to end. Thepressure sensitive element I8 is hollow and communicates with theinterior of the pipe I5 by a bore I9 formed in the head I1, whereby thepressure sensitive element I8 is internally subjected to the pressure ofthe water in which the automatic bomb is submerged.

A pair of contact members 20 and 2| are arranged in the upper chamber ofthe casing and are disposed on opposite sides of the free end of thepressure sensitive element I8 when the latter is in the condition itoccupies when subjected to atmospheric pressure. The contact member 2|is fixed while the contact member 20 is slidable and guided by a pin 22engaging in a slot 23 formed longitudinally thereof. Initially theslidable contact member 20 is spaced a substantial distance from thestationary contact member 2| and it is held in this position by thetension of a spring 24.-

The edge of the slidable contact member 2|] adjacent the free end of thepressure sensitive element I8 is formed with a recess 24 in which thereduced terminal of the element I8 is engaged when subjected to apredetermined degree of hydrostatic pressure as, for instance, when theautomatic bomb is submerged to a predetermined depth.

The upper chamber of the bomb casing also encloses an electric battery25 or other suitable source of electric energy, one pole of which isconnected by a conductor 26 with the stationary contact member 2| andthe opposite pole thereof is connected by a conductor 21 with oneterminal of a fuse or other igniting device 28. The

opposite terminal of the igniting device is connected by a conductor 29with the contact member 20 and thus when the two contact members 20 and2| are mutually engaged the circuit of the fuse 28 is completed and thespark or heat thus generated ignites the explosive charge I3 in thelower part of the casing thus producing a violent explosion at or nearthe surface of the water, depending upon the sensibility of the elementI8 to the variations in pressure to which it is subjected.

As illustrated in Figure 2 the free end of the flexible pressureresponsive element I8 is normally disposed in the space between thecontact members 20 and 2| so that during a fairly wide range ofpressures to which the element I8 is subjected it will not causepremature or unintentional explosion of the bomb. However, when thecasing is submerged to a substantial predetermined depth below thesurface of the water, the pressure of the latter acts to straighten theflexible element I8 and in so doing the free end thereof engages theunderside of the slidable contact member 20 and comes to rest in therecess 24. Thus an operative connection between the flexible pressureresponsive element I8 and the contact member 20 is established, and

when the bomb is raised to or adjacent the surface of the water, theflexible element l8 responding to the decrease in hydrostatic pressuretends to resume its curved condition and in so doing moves the slidablecontact member 20 into engagement with the stationary contact member 2|thereby completing the circuit of the igniting fuse 28 and causing theignition and explosion of the charge l3.

Various arrangements may be adopted for anchoring the one or more of theautomatic bombs in position below the surface of the Water, but this ispreferably accomplished by means of a net in which the surface orsub-surface craft becomes entangled during passage. The net ispreferably composed of vertical and horizontal strands 20 attached atthe lower end to an appropriate number of anchoring cables 3| andattached to anchors 32 which normally rest on the bottom of the body ofwater. The net 30 isrmaintained in an upright operative position bybuoyant bodies 33 attached to the upper strand and preferably formed offrangible, transparent material so as to render them practicallyinvisible. Thefanchoring cables 3! are of substantially less tensilestrength than the strands of the-net 30 so that when a vessel engagingthe net severs the anchoring cables 3| permitting the net, together withthe bombs, to rise to the surface of the water under the influence ofthe buoyant bodies 33. By varying the responsiveness of the flexibleelement l8 to the internal pressure exerted thereon the automatic bombmay be caused to explode either at the surface of the water or atvariable points below the surface, as

will be understood.

What I claim is:

A bomb comprising a casing, a charge firing ineans in said casingincluding normally spaced stationary and movable contact members, acatch shoulder and an inclined surface on the movable contact member, adeformable pressure -is subjected to hydrostatic pressure of apredetermined value, and means for displacing the movable membertoengage said shoulder over said end of the element whereby the contactmembers are moved into engagement by subsequent deformation of theelement in response to a reduction in the hydrostatic pressure.

CHARLES S. ALLEN, JR.

